Turnabout
by scifislasher
Summary: [Ninja Storm] Aftermath of the NSDT crossover episodes 'Thunder Storm'. ShaneHunter
1. Turnabout

Turnabout

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.

This was wrong, wrong on a galactic level.

As Hunter stared down at the Wind Rangers he felt his heart drop into his boots. Shane was wiping the floor with the other red ranger and he wasn't even trying hard. The one thing he wasn't holding back was the aggression of his attacks, each strike as brutal as the next. How had this happened? When Cam had said he couldn't get in touch with the others he'd been worried, not wanting to think about what Lothor would be doing to the Wind Rangers, knowing all too well what the Dark Ninja was capable of, but this? This was the last thing he'd been expecting.

His eyes fixed on the familiar figures fighting beneath him, he felt more alone than he had for a long time. Shane shouldn't have to go through this. Of the two of them, he was the one touched by evil, a path he'd chosen willingly, on a misguided quest for revenge. Shane had helped him deal with that, all of the guilt that ate away at him and helped him loosen up a little, the red ranger determined to get him into the team, despite their differences and their identical hard-headed attitudes. Whether he wanted it or not, he thought dryly. Shane should never have known any of this - how it felt to have dark energy surging through you, giving you more power than you'd ever thought was possible. It should never have happened.

But it had. The only thing he could do now was deal with it; get Shane, Dustin and Tori back to normal, finish Lothor for good this time, or failing that he'd settle for defeating the guys backing the Winds if they were in this for the long haul again, then, and only then, would they be able to deal with the fallout of this.


	2. Fallout

Fallout

Hunter sighed as he studied the other occupant of the room out the corner of his eye. Shane wasn't doing so well right now, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. The immediate aftermath of his brainwashing had been put off almost, with Shane acting like his usual annoyingly upbeat self and cheering as loudly as the rest of them at Blake's race. They'd been standing next to each other and more than once he'd let his arm or his fingers come into contact with Shane's, just letting him know he was there. It was nothing obvious of course, neither of them really comfortable with displaying affection, especially in front of others and most definitely not in a place like this.

He'd spent much of his childhood round the track not far from the Thunder Academy and this track was much the same as any other, full of macho guys and even more macho posturing. Anything that didn't fit with that image wasn't well received and he _knew_ most of these guys. At least half of them had already asked why he wasn't riding anymore and it had been hard to redirect their interest. He snorted inwardly. Like he'd give up racing. He might not compete anymore, it wasn't like he had the time after all, but that didn't mean he didn't still ride when he had the chance.

After the race Shane had seemed fine, but now, a couple of weeks later, the cracks were starting to show, despite his best efforts. He tried to hide it, but if he seriously believed Hunter bought it he should think again. Shane was hurting badly and trying to pretend he wasn't, trying to pretend that it didn't hurt that his students were so wary of him, trying to pretend he didn't feel guilty as hell about what happened, even though he of all people should know better. When it had been Hunter, Shane had been adamant that there was no way he could have fought the brainwashing, that the things he'd done weren't his fault, but now it seemed that Shane wasn't taking his own advice and it was tearing him apart.

It hurt to see that look in Shane's eyes, the shadowed guilt, the realisation that there was darkness inside, that he was capable of doing terrible things if he ever gave into that darkness. It was a look he was all too familiar with, he'd seen it so often, every time he looked in the mirror until he'd finally managed to put it behind him and move on. That was what Shane needed, to move on, but so far the air ninja wasn't listening. Like that was a surprise. Shane was just as stubborn as he was.

He sat down on the bed and looked over at the former ranger. "It wasn't your fault," he said and held Shane's gaze as his head snapped up.

"What wasn't?"

"The things you did at Reefside. It wasn't your fault, Shane. You can't blame yourself."

"Why not?" Shane snapped, not even bothering to pretend he didn't know what Hunter was talking about.

"Because Lothor's powerful and manipulating people is what he does best, believe me, I know." Shane's expression flickered and Hunter pressed on. "Remember after me and Blake joined the team? You were so determined to make me believe the things Blake and I did weren't entirely our fault, especially Vertigo Island, and we did worse than you three did. Why is this so different?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

He could see different responses flickering through Shane's eyes but what eventually came out was "Because I'm the leader! I'm supposed to protect my team and I failed!"

"So did I!" Hunter snapped back. "Blake's been my responsibility since our parents died. I was supposed to look out for him and instead I led him into an alliance with a Dark Ninja who probably would have killed us both if it had suited him and it doesn't even stop there. When you've almost killed the last family member you have, talk to me about guilt then."

"I didn't mean--" Shane started and Hunter tossed his head a little in dismissal.

"I know. I'm just trying to say that you're not alone, you know? You helped me deal with everything before. Now it's my turn, k?" His fingers ghosted lightly over Shane's cheek, a small gesture of support.

Shane smiled slightly. "Okay."

"So. You want to yell or would you rather hit something?"


End file.
